


The Gladiator

by GammaPrime



Series: TRANSFORMERS CHRONICLES [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Combat, Gladiators, Prophecy, Start Of Darkness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:42:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28121802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GammaPrime/pseuds/GammaPrime
Summary: A corrupt Senator sets up a gladiatorial match between a mysterious psyonic warrior and Megatronus, a miner-turned-gladiator from Kaon.
Series: TRANSFORMERS CHRONICLES [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060217
Kudos: 5
Collections: TRANSFORMERS CHRONICLES





	1. Chapter 1

At the center of Iacon, capital city of the planet Cybertron, sat the Grand Imperium, an impressive, stately structure where the world's lawmaking body met to discuss public policy. As of late, the daily meetings held herein had been unusually long. Many pressing issues plagued the planet at this time, from the aftermath of a terrible plague to growing social unrest brought about by the deepening divide between haves and have-nots.

One senator, a somewhat short and slender mech of red hue with gold accents, grew increasingly weary of these drawn-out sessions. The slow decay of Cybertronian society didn't concern him, nor did the effects of the Red Rust Plague that had recently isolated Cybertron from its off-world colonies. The greatest medical minds on the planet were working feverishly to find a cure. Not even the debate over equality for Synths, drones that had developed sentience, concerned Excellion Maximus. He saw, and sought, a far different future for Cybertron than his colleagues.

"With that, our session is adjourned," announced the head of the 70-member Cybertron Senate, Delta Magnus. "You may all go your separate ways. However, if any of you do wish to speak with me about less pressing matters, I'll be at Maccadam's."

Excellion just ignored Delta as he left the Grand Imperium, transforming into a motorcycle-like vehicle as soon as he made his way to one of the less-traveled roads leading away from Iacon's Central District. While the other 69 Senators went about their personal business, Excellion had another meeting to attend, and this one would be far more interesting than any Senate session.

He continued to drive along this back road as its lighting became more and more sparse. This road was perhaps the least important road in Iacon, and its state of disrepair was proof. By this point, the few lights that remained functional struggled to do so, flickering on and off and putting out only a fraction of the light they once did. Few bots came this way, and that suited Excellion perfectly. He did not want the wrong bot to see what he was about to do or with whom he was about to meet.

Having reached his destination, a largely abandoned scrap depot, Excellion reverted to his robot mode, but also underwent another change. His red coloration shifted to purple, and his helm shifted from a tall, rounded red helm with gold trim and antennae to a black helm with large horns on the side that curved upward. This shifty Senator was a Shifter, a rare breed of Cybertronian capable of altering his appearance to a far greater degree than most others. Shifters would often use this ability to impersonate other bots for the purpose of infiltration. Excellion Maximus, whose real name was Sideways, was no exception, having assumed the name and appearance of a once-renowned Senator who was once thought to be dead.

"On the thousandth Lunar Alignment, the Fallen shall rise from the deepest of pits," he said to himself, reciting a prophecy from the sacred Covenant of Primus. This prophecy had been Sideways' primary focus since he began impersonating Excellion. So obsessed was he with this prophecy that he went to the Hall of Records to consult the Master Archivist regarding bots forged on the date of that Lunar Alignment. There, he learned that, of the many bots forged on that day, one was forged in Kaon, an impoverished city-state many Cybertronians referred to as "The Deepest of Pits."

The sound of an approaching engine would soon divert Sideways' attention. It was an engine he knew well. It was the engine of the associate with whom he was slated to meet. This associate soon came into view, his red, white, and blue vehicular form being intermittently illuminated by the flickering lights as it shifted into a slender, yet imposing mech who wore the vehicle's wheels on his shoulders, where previously hidden spikes protruded from their perimeters.

"Ah...Punctual as always, Psykill," Sideways greeted.

"I take it you have new information regarding the reforged Megatronus."

"Indeed I have. He is likely to be a miner from Kaon designated D-16."

"You must be speaking of the gladiator who calls himself Megatronus. For the longest time, I believed him to have assumed that moniker merely as a result of his own hubris."

"Upon first learning of him, I thought likewise, Psykill. Still, my curiosity was aroused. I began to observe his matches in the Games. Too this day, he remains undefeated, and there are few bots who would willingly enter the Pit with him."

"There was no better bot to put an end to Gamma Veritus," Psykill chuckled.

"I would hardly call that a noteworthy feat. Gamma Veritus was hardly forged to fight. Still, I suppose it served him right for forgetting his place in the current world order.

"Perhaps more noteworthy was his defeat of the last remaining Dark Sentinel from the Age of Subjugation. That is a feat few bots can match."

"Indeed," Sideways replied with a nod. "It will take an unconventional warrior to truly test his might. If he can best a bot with abilities such as yours, then he is indeed the genuine article."

"I assume the match has been arranged."

"It has," Sideways confirmed. "You will be pitted against him at the rising of Luna II tomorrow. I will be there to observe as the Senate will be in recess."

Psykill grinned with anticipation. "Excellent...."


	2. Determinate Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight between Megatronus and Psykill goes down.

It was in the dimly-lit center of a city deemed to be the worst place on Cybertron where brutal underground gladiatorial matches known simply as The Games took place. Hundreds of less than savory characters began pouring into this makeshift arena as the glowing visage of Luna II began to peer out from the horizon. One of these was the Shifter, Sideways, a bot who had long ago infiltrated the Cybertron Senate under the guise of one Excellion Maximus. He wasn't here to idly watch just another match, as a few other corrupt politicians did. He was here to observe the infamous gladiator known as Megatronus. He had personally arranged for this match, pitting the reigning champion against his associate, Psykill.

Shortly after the audience was seated, a maize and purple mech stepped into the middle of the makeshift ring.

"We have a special match tonight that promises to be an absolute spectacle!" the mech announced, making dramatic gestures with his hands as he did so. "Tonight, our reigning champion, the Emperor of Destruction, Megatronus..."

The crowd began to cheer as the mech continued.

"Will be pitted against the Psyonic Psycho from Parts Unknown...Psykill!" The bot made one more sweeping gesture before stepping aside as a pair of vehicles converged from opposite sides. One of these was a heavy mining vehicle in a steely gray with deep purple and red accents. The other was a seemingly unassuming motorcycle-esque vehicle in red, white, and blue. The heavier mech was the first to transform, taking on a large, bulky form with a bucket-shaped helm and a snarling, yet smug, face. This mech chuckled at his opponent's feeble-looking alternate mode. "You hardly appear to be a match for me," he huffed dismissively as the smaller bot transformed.

"We shall see, D-16," Psykill chuckled as his golden optics glowed. Soon, a similarly bright golden aura would surround one of the spectators, who was lifted up out of his seat and into the air, drawing astonished gasps from the other spectators. This hapless mech squirmed in his place in a futile attempt to free himself before he was flung in Megatronus' direction. The undefeated gladiator soon reacted by transforming the drill bit on his right arm into a powerful Fusion Cannon with which he blasted the helpless spectator to pieces.

Sideways leaned forward, a look of interest and satisfaction on his face as he witnessed Megatronus' lack of regard for the life of this spectator.

A tan and red mech sitting next to him turned to face him. "He does this all the time to bots who get too close to the arena."

"It's an impressive display of ruthlessness," Sideways replied.

"Thank the AllSpark I keep my distance," the tan mech chuckled a bit nervously.

"I understand you're quite the gladiator yourself, D-23, was it?"

"Demolishor," the mech corrected. "I refuse to go by a name fit for a mindless drone!"

"Such seems to be the fate for many Kaonians...to be treated as glorified drones," Sideways observed before returning his focus to the fight in progress. The front-most row of spectators would soon recoil as Megatronus was psionically flung into them with such force as to seriously injure a couple of the heftier spectators and crush a smaller one who sat beside him.

Megatronus growled before aiming his Fusion Cannon at Psykill's chest and firing, creating a blackened gash that exposed some vital circuitry, including the Spark Chamber. Psykill responded by removing one of the spiked wheels from his shoulders and holding it in front of him. Meanwhile, the opposite wheel was psionically removed and sent flying toward Megatronus, who attempted to blast it. Psykill followed this up by throwing the other spiked wheel straight at his opponent, guiding it with his power so that it lodged itself into the barrel of the Kaonian's arm-mounted weapon.

"Hmm...It would seem that I underestimated you," Megatronus commented before grabbing one of the other spectators in the path of the still flying wheel, which sliced the bot's head off before Megatronus hurled his torso at Psykill, who caught it in his psionic field with a sinister grin. "Your ruthlessness is quite admirable, Megatronus," he smiled as his opponent charged at him with an Energon Sword drawn. He used this weapon to cleave the headless spectator's torso in half before driving it into Psykill's Spark Chamber.

"Your abilities and tactics provided a surprising challenge, Psykill," Megatronus complimented while twisting the blade, "but they were ultimately futile."

The light in Psykill's optics soon dimmed to darkness as Megatronus withdrew his sword, which still dripped with fresh Energon. The victor then placed his heel atop Psykill's corpse, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"Of course, we all knew who would win this match," the maize-and-purple bot spoke. "Apologies to those who bet all their Energon on Psykill," he laughed.

Later, after everyone else had left, Sideways stepped into the ring as his associate's optics flickered back to life.

"Surely, this is the bot we seek," Sideways stated as Psykill pulled himself back onto his feet. "I trust you know what to do from here."

Psykill nodded. "I do."


	3. At Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megatronus meets with Psykill once more to discuss the future.

"That should do it, Megatronus," grinned a slender red mech as he placed a hand on his hip. "You took quite the beating from that Psykill, but now, you look ready to square off against a Titan."

Megatronus chuckled. "He was quite the challenge...and the enigma..."

"What do you mean?" the red mech inquired.

"I feel as though I did not extinguish his Spark, even though my blade surely went through it."

"It might be an aberrant Spark. I don't think even the most evolved Synth can be capable of psionics like that."

Megatronus hummed in thought as he got off the berth and headed out, leaving the scarlet medic to cast an admiring gaze on his back. "I think he may have the makings of something more than some two-bit gladiator," he said to himself. "I must say I see the makings of a revolutionary...whom I'd be more than honored to serve."

Megatronus didn't hear the medic's audible thoughts, having traveled far enough away from the clinic for him to be out of auditory sensor range. It wouldn't matter either way. All the gladiator could think about was Psykill. While initially appearing feeble, this one mech proved to be a powerful opponent with his psionic powers. Moreover, Megatronus couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't quite kill the bot after defeating him.

Those suspicions would be confirmed when a familiar motorcycle pulled in front of him before transforming, looking as though he had taken no damage whatsoever. "You fought well, Megatronus," he complimented.

"You were a worthy opponent yourself, Psykill. No other opponent I have faced has survived."

"That match was simply a test," Psykill stated.

"Of what?"

"The extent of your abilities," the mysterious mech replied. "You are no ordinary gladiator."

Megatronus raised an optic ridge, unsure of what this bot meant.

"On the thousandth Lunar Alignment, the Fallen shall rise from the deepest of pits," Psykill recited. "I understand you were forged on that very day."

"Surely many others were as well," Megatronus contended, not really being one to believe in ancient prophecies.

"Is Kaon not described as 'the deepest of pits?'"

"That would be an apt description," the gladiator wearily replied.

"Such is readily obvious," Psykill responded in agreement. "What is also obvious is that your destiny lies far beyond this backwater city-state. Surely, you now grow bored with these pointless gladiatorial matches. After all, they have served their purpose."

"The last Kaonian who dared to rise above his lot in life has recently suffered the consequences of such folly."

"I am well aware of Gamma Veritus' fate. He had great ambition, but his feeble frame and scruples ultimately assured his downfall. You, meanwhile, do not have such limitations. You will win by any means...at any cost. So shall you rise from this great pit."

"You speak of revolution, do you not?"

"I do, Megatronus. You have the strength, ruthlessness, and influence to bring about a new world order."

Megatronus put a hand to his chin in thought as Psykill continued.

"Gamma Veritus could have become the Prime, but his scruples held him back. He was too unwilling to do all that was necessary, while Zeta Prime was."

Megatronus growled. Like many in Kaon, he despised the sitting Prime.

"Why let that resentment fester within your Spark, Megatronus? You have all that is necessary to act upon it and reduce Zeta Prime to ashes. That, though, would only be the beginning. Greater power awaits you that the Primes have long hidden. You have the power to seize the vessels of this power. Trust me. The Matrix of Leadership and the Heart of Cybertron are no mere legends. They are real, and in time, they will be yours. All you must do is rise up to the challenge of claiming them. Take full advantage of everything at your disposal. Your weapons surround you, and your greatest opponent awaits. Will you rise to the challenge?"

Megatronus' expression became ominously determined as he replied. "I will."

"I figured as much," Psykill said before transforming and leaving. Megatronus, meanwhile, drew his Energon Sword and carved an emblem into the wall behind him. It was the only image he really knew that dated back to ancient Cybertron: The Mark of the Fallen. Megatronus then turned his head to face the rising of Cybertron's sun. "Now comes the dawn of a new world order...my world order." He strode forward confidently, clutching his sword, as the morning sun began to illuminate the streets. Eventually, he would make his way to a sign that marked the boundary between Kaon and its neighboring city-state. Like most other such signs, it was branded with the Crest of the Primes. He growled and leapt up, using his sword to create a large slash through the face-like crest. A maintenance drone would soon respond to the vandalism, only for Megatronus to grab it by the neck and violently slam it onto the ground before pointing his Fusion Cannon at its face. "Let today mark the beginning of the reign of Megatron!" he shouted before pulling the trigger, reducing the drone's head to unrecognizable slag before kicking the now deactivated machine in the direction of the scrap depot.


End file.
